“Path to Paradise” and “Highway to Heaven” are some of the local nicknames for the newly renovated Sanibel Causeway. The Causeway stretches across San Carlos Bay to connect Sanibel Island with the Florida mainland. Until its completion in late 2007, the driveway was kindly referred to by many in the surrounding Lee County community as “that long, expensive project.”
When the original Causeway opened to traffic in 1963, it was credited with boosting the popularity and accessibility of Sanibel Island, long an enclave for writers, artists, and naturalists. Until then, the only way to get to Sanibel was via a 30-minute ferry ride from the mainland. The Sanibel Island ferry service consisted of four passenger-car boats with trips leaving every 15 minutes from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., prompting the common refrain that “Sanibel closed at 5: 30 p.m.”.
The iconic Kinzie brothers, Andrew and George, built the first permanent piers on Sanibel in 1928 after winning the coveted contract to transport mail to the island on their Kinzie Brothers Steamship Line. In 1926, his ships carried mail, ice, fresh food, and ultimately passengers, twice a week to a makeshift dock behind Bailey’s General Store. As word of Sanibel’s beauty, exotic wildlife, and abundant fishing spread, the Kinzies expanded their mail service to include the island’s visitor population. “Best” was the first ferry followed by the addition of the “Islander”. The Kinzie ships brought a number of illustrious visitors to the islands, including the Lindberghs, the Edisons, and the Ford family, among a steady stream of notables who quickly adopted Sanibel as their winter retreat.
Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, Sanibel’s popularity continued to grow. When forest fires devastated the island in 1955, discussions began about building a causeway for evacuation purposes. The original driveway cost $2.73 million and ran 2.7 miles with a 26-foot clearance. When it opened in 1963, the toll to cross to the island side was $3 for cars. Tolls were later reduced to $2 for commuters.
In 2001, Lee County voted to spend $37.5 million to repair and upgrade portions of the bridge that showed wear and tear and cracks in several places. After Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, construction costs skyrocketed to $134 million, prompting a toll increase to $6 to help finance the bill. The new Causeway opened in September 2007. At the same 2.7-mile distance, it now includes a 70-foot navigation clearance, as well as two man-made islands of causeway located between each of the three spans separated from the bridge. Although the islands were originally built to accommodate the new bridge design, they have become a popular destination for itinerant beachgoers, fishermen, and sailors. Strong winds have made the causeway islands especially popular with windsurfers and kitesurfers. The original bridges were later demolished and their remains sunk into the water to create a series of artificial reefs in San Carlos Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
While many visitors believe the bridge is a blessing in getting them more efficiently and safely to their vacation rentals and private homes in “paradise,” the causeway’s celestial moniker was more slowly adopted. From certain angles, hilariously captured in a series of photos and blogs, the bridge appears to reach straight up into the sky.
